The actress and writer on her side-splitting series about that grotty appeal of Gen Z existence
The star appears on the video call and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. She is only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott holds a lot to share, be it on roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more insights on the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for her series, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also new agent Maia. However, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show about a rising celebrity succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for the series originated—in part—from firsthand, originally fractious, transition to LA and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. This represented an era that saw her grasp significant life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, Sennott commenced writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively fixated on motherhood; another portrayed working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it today. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a video named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers managing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to produce a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a depiction of affluent twentysomething existence that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant
